Department of English Graduate Studies

New Graduate Student Orientation

WithProfessor Beth Tobin, Director

andSheila Luna,Coordinator

English Graduate Student OrientationAgenda

Welcoming Comments from Maureen Goggin, Department Chair and Karen Adams, Associate Chair

Beth Tobin, Director of Graduate Studies and Sheila Luna, Graduate Coordinator

Jennifer Clifton, GSEA President

Alice Veksler, GPSA Representative

Joe Buenker, University Libraries Representative

Presentation: Graduate Program Nuts and Bolts

Introductions of Program Directors

Reception

Information Online

The ASU Academic Catalog is available online -- http://www.asu.edu/catalog/

The English Department website, graduate student page contains many useful links, such as FAQs, how to file an iPOS, doctoral exams, etc. http://english.clas.asu.edu/graduate

Graduate College website http://graduate.asu.edu/

Graduate College policies http://graduate.asu.edu/academic_policies.html

Communication

Graduate student mailboxes are located in LL 311, Graduate Student Lounge. Available second week of semester.

Graduate Student E-mail Distribution List – send email to sheila@asu.edu to be added. Must have an ASU email account.

Update your address and phone number with ASU Registrar. This can be done through MY ASU.

Sun Cards (ASU ID Cards). Office located in Memorial Union, lower level. 480-965-CARD.

Enrollment Stipulations

Graduate students MUST remain continuously enrolled, otherwise they will be withdrawn by the Graduate College and will need to reapply. This does not include summer.

TAs who teach in the summer must be enrolled in at least one credit the session that they teach.

Students using ASU resources in the summer, such as taking an oral or written exam, foreign language exam, defending, etc., must be registered for at least one hour.

Students must be enrolled in at least one credit during the semester or summer session that they apply for graduation.

Enrollment, continued….

Teaching Assistants MUST be enrolled for six hours every semester (even if they are done with coursework and research/dissertation hours).

If enrollment is impossible due to personal or medical issues, students can petition for a Leave of Absence with justification for their leave. Students who are granted a leave lose their student privileges (i.e., email, library, etc.).

Another option is to enroll in 1 credit of 595 or 795, continuing registration, as a place holder.

Independent Study Registration

Download the Independent Study form (http://english.clas.asu.edu/forms), complete the top portion and obtain the required signature. If you are doing research, dissertation, thesis, applied project hours you must get your committee chair’s signature on the “instructor” line.

If you are doing a reading and conference, you must obtain the signature of the professor with whom you will be working.

Return the completed and signed form to the English Department or to the Graduate Coordinator for clearance to register. You will be able to register within 48 hours of returning the form.

This procedure must be followed each time you want to enroll in ENG or LIN 590, 592, 599, 799, 790, 792, 584, 593, 597, 595, 795, etc.

Foreign Language Requirement

Students must demonstrate evidence of a competent knowledge of a natural language other than modern English, to be selected by the student, subject to the approval of the chair of the dissertation committee. This requirement may be met by:

1. Earning a “B” (3.00) or higher in a 400- or 500-level course in an appropriate (approved) language;

2. Demonstrating comparable proficiency by taking a language examination, administered by the School of International Letters and Cultures, in a language approved by the student’s supervisory committee;

3. Demonstrating native speaker proficiency, as determined by the School of International Letters and Cultures, in a language approved by the student’s supervisory committee;

4. Earning a “B” (3.00) or higher in both ENG 530 Old English and ENG 531 Old English Literature or their equivalent;

5. Holding a bachelor’s degree in an approved foreign language; 6. Having fulfilled a foreign language requirement towards a previously awarded master’s

degree that has been completed within five years of the semester for which the student has been admitted to the PhD program. This foreign language must be in a language approved by the student’s PhD supervisory committee.

Things to remember when it comes to the language requirement!

Student must have an approved iPOS on file before they can sign up to take the Foreign Language Exam.

The Language Exam is offered by SILC three times per year. Student must be enrolled in at least one graduate English credit during the semester OR

summer session that they take the exam. Language exam results must be posted before student can schedule a defense. Students should fulfill language requirement early in the program so it does not hold up

graduation. Doctoral students should fulfill language requirement before they undertake the

portfolio/exams. If a student fails the exam, he/she must submit a petition to the Graduate College to retake

the exam. The petition must include why the student failed, what the student will do to prepare for the next exam (i.e., new book, dictionary, tutoring, etc.), and why the exam is needed. Note: Only two petitions to retake the exam are allowed. Normally, the student should allow three months to study for the next exam.

http://silc.asu.edu/testing/graduate

Time to Degree - doctoral

Doctoral students must complete all program requirements within a ten-year period. The ten-year period starts with the semester and year of admission. Graduate courses taken prior to admission that are included on the Plan of Study must have been completed within three years of the semester and year of admission to the program (previously awarded master's degrees used on the Plan of Study are exempt from this three-year rule).

The student must defend the dissertation within five years after passing the comprehensive examinations.

Therefore, the maximum time limit is the shortest of the following: – Time period since initial enrollment (10 year time limit). – Time after passing the comprehensive exams (5 year time limit).

Department time to degree is seven years from admission

If more time is required, students may submit a detailed petition to the Graduate College with the extension request.

Time to Degree – master’s

All work toward a master’s degree must be completed within six consecutive years. The six years begins with the semester and year of admission to the program.

Graduate courses taken prior to admission, that are included on the Plan of Study, must have been completed within three years of the semester and year of admission to the program.

If more time is required, students may submit a detailed petition to the Graduate College with the extension request.

What is an Interactive Plan of Study?

The iPOS becomes the official record of your program plans and is a listing of what you have already taken, are presently taking, and will take to complete your requirements. It should be completed in consultation with your committee chair/advisor.

It is also the official notification to the Graduate College of your committee membership.

Candidates for all graduate degrees must file an Interactive Plan of Study (iPOS). The iPOS must be reviewed and approved by the supervisory committee, the department chair, the graduation office, and the dean of the Graduate College.

Ph.D. students must have a committee formed, and an approved iPOS, before

or at the time of the portfolio submission. Master's students will not be permitted to register for thesis credits until they have an approved iPOS on file.

Interactive Plan of Study (iPOS)

The Interactive Plan of Study (iPOS) is submitted electronically, through the student’s MY ASU, iPOS link. However, the student must get a signature from the committee chair before the Department approves the iPOS.

Only the chair is needed initially in order for the student to submit the iPOS. Once an iPOS has been approved by the Department and the Graduate College, the student submits a Committee Change Request and creates co-chairs and members.

Students also have the option of selecting their entire committee at once, which will eliminate the need to add committee members later.

Committee Change Requests, Petitions, Course Change Requests and Masters in Passing applications are also submitted electronically.

Filing the Graduate Plan of Study

Graduate students must submit their iPOS before they have completed 50% of their program. Failure to do so may result in a hold on registration.

http://english.clas.asu.edu/gradstudies-pos

For accountability, students must obtain signatures of chair and committee members before the Department can officially approve.

Choosing a Committee

The thesis/dissertation committee consists of three members on the graduate faculty, ordinarily specialists in the area of the student’s project. Once the chair is selected, the student should confer with that person about other suitable members.

Students are guided by faculty mentors who advise them through their degree program. Students should identify their advisors early in their graduate career and look to them for guidance in their work.

Petitioning to have committee members from outside the department's graduate faculty will be handled by the department chair in consultation with the director of graduate studies.

Coursework - doctoral

PhD plans of study must have no more and no less than 84 hours, 12 being dissertation.

Research (792) can be used to fulfill coursework hours when applicable and in consultation with the committee chair.

A student with a previously awarded master’s degree can apply it to the iPOS for a blanket 30 hours. The student must then list 54 hours at ASU.

The dissertation chair should review the student’s coursework before signing to make sure all requirements have been met.

If the student is meeting the language requirement in another way and not taking the exam, be sure the language requirement is waived on the iPOS; otherwise, you will be required to take the language exam.

Coursework – master’s

MA and MTESOL Plans of Study must contain 30 hours.

The committee chair should review the student’s coursework before signing to make sure all requirements have been met.

If the student is meeting the language requirement in another way and not taking the exam, be sure the language requirement is waived on the iPOS; otherwise, you will be required to take the language exam.

Transfer Coursework

Twelve hours of coursework from another institution, not applied to a previous degree, may be used toward the PhD Plan of Study.

Six hours of coursework from another institution, not applied to a previous degree, maybe used toward the MA or MTESOL Plan of Study.

The Graduate College must have official transcripts from the institution where transfer classes were taken.

Nine hours of non-degree coursework can be applied to the MA or MTESOL Plan of Study (includes transfer work).

A grade of B or better is required for all transfer and non degree work applied to a Plan of Study.

Thesis/Dissertation

The master's thesis and doctoral dissertation must be based on original and independent research/creative activity conducted by the student, under the guidance of the graduate supervisory committee.

The thesis is an introduction to scholarly writing and is intended to create an understanding of theory and methods applicable to one's field.

The dissertation should demonstrate the candidate's mastery of research and scholarly methodologies, theory, and tools of the discipline.

Both the thesis and dissertation should demonstrate the candidate's ability to address a major intellectual problem and to propose meaningful questions and hypotheses, as well as utilize the methods with which to study the proposed research question(s) and related hypotheses, and draw conclusions.

Beginning Spring 2010: Non-thesis option for MA

and MTESOL Capstone Experience

MA: 27 hours of coursework and 3 credit capstone (ENG 597)

MTESOL: 27 hours of coursework and 3 credit capstone (LIN 597)

The capstone experience for both programs will give students a choice of completing a research paper, a curriculum design, or a professional portfolio as their final project.

Graduate Student Advising

Beth Tobin, director of graduate studies and director of Ph.D. literature (LL 307B) Contact sheila@asu.edu for an appointment.

Keith Miller, co-director, Ph.D. Rhetoric, Composition, and Linguistics (LL 210C)

Elly van Gelderen co-director, Ph.D. Rhetoric, Composition, and Linguistics and MA linguistics (LL 226C)

Roy Major, director, MTESOL (LL 313C)

Taylor Corse, director, M.A. literature (LL 214C)

Peter Goggin, director, M.A. rhetoric and composition (LL 308B)

Claudia Sadowski-Smith, director, M.A. comparative literature (LL 308A)

Sheila Luna, Graduate Coordinator, LL 543B

http://english.clas.asu.edu/graduate_advising

Questions?

HAVE A GREAT SEMESTER!